Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Algal Microbiome Engineering
UiT The Arctic University of Norway is advertising a
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Algal Microbiome Engineering
at the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, within the Norwegian College of Fishery Science in Tromsø.
The position is attached to the
Microalgae & Microbiomes Research Group
and is a
3-year fixed-term postdoctoral appointment
. The project explores
programmable marine microbiomes
and mechanistic interactions in the
diatom phycosphere
, with a strong emphasis on
synthetic biology
,
microbial ecology
, and molecular interactions between marine microalgae and associated bacteria.
The successful candidate will help develop experimental model systems for studying
metabolite exchange
, microbial community interactions, and engineered microbial consortia in marine settings. The work integrates microbiology, molecular biology, microbial cultivation, genome-informed molecular ecology, synthetic biology, and multi-omics approaches to understand and engineer marine microbial ecosystems relevant to
carbon cycling
and
marine biotechnology
.
Research activities may involve cultivation and engineering of marine bacteria and microalgae, construction of synthetic microbial consortia, and analysis of transcriptomics, genomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics data. The project sits within a broader programme on marine microbial ecology and biotechnology, with relevance to climate resilience, sustainable aquaculture, and marine carbon fixation.
Applicants must hold a PhD-equivalent degree in a relevant discipline such as microbiology, molecular biology, biotechnology, synthetic biology, marine biology, microbial ecology, systems biology, chemical engineering, or bioengineering. Candidates nearing completion of the PhD may still apply if they provide dissertation material and a statement confirming the expected completion date. Strong English skills are required, and experience in experimental microbiology, molecular biology, and peer-reviewed publication is essential.
Desirable experience includes work with non-model microorganisms, environmental molecular tools, microbial genomics or metagenomics, omics analysis, metabolomics, microbial community analysis, coding in R/Python, and systems biology. Norwegian or other Scandinavian language knowledge is an advantage.
The application deadline is
4 October 2026
. Applicants must submit an application letter, a
2-page project proposal
, CV, diplomas and transcripts, English documentation, reference contacts, academic production list, and the works to be assessed. The proposal should explain how the applicant would contribute to designing diatom phycosphere communities using engineered genetic circuits or other synthetic biology tools, including a progress plan.
Contact persons are
Hans Christopher Bernstein
and
Bjørn Petter Finstad
at UiT.
